Back home from road trips. I’ve been fishing local rivers recently. All are now open for angling. Water levels are dropping and most can be waded. Run-off was gentle this year. That’s good. And it has been a cool, wet Spring and start to the Summer. That’s also good after several low water years.

Most rivers look good. The Dam controlled tailwater flows that I often fish, however, need a flushing to clean out the significant Didymo (Didymosphenid geminata) build-up but I’m not sure that will happen. Water capture and diversion for agricultural irrigation is the priority with Provincial Water Management, not the health of the rivers below the reservoirs. While angling in Montana this Spring I witnessed a planned flushing of the Beaverhead river which is a dam controlled flow (tailwater). I was told that in years when they have enough stored water in the reservoir a flushing is done for several days to emulate a natural run-off and improve the health of the waterway by dislodging silt and other build-up. Our tailwater rivers could benefit from such a practice.

Here are some images of trout caught on dries size 18, 16, BWO’s and PMD’s, and a few on a size 12 Caddis pattern. The rivers are slowly beginning to warm and insects are starting to emerge mid-day.